Athena decided not to tell Zaden about it. She only gave a vague answer. "Hmm, well, he used to be my assistant, so yeah, we got along pretty well. What he said just now was a joke. Don't take it seriously." Zaden listened quietly, but the heaviness in his chest didn't fade. Kit was a Rice. With his background and status, why would he ever be someone's assistant? Unless he had another motive. And whatever that motive was, Zaden couldn't tell. When he walked in earlier, the way Kit spoke didn't sound like he was joking. Maybe he really meant what he said. Looks like he had to keep his guard up. ... Meanwhile, Kit returned to Preston's side. Maya was nowhere to be seen. Preston narrowed his eyes when he saw Kit. "So, you and Athena seem close? You know her pretty well?" Kit could tell Preston had his eyes on Athena, though he didn't know why. But he didn't want to sell Athena out or make her another enemy. If Preston decided to help Maya, even he wouldn't stand a chance against him. "Uh ... we're okay, I guess," Kit said vaguely. Preston could easily read his brother's thoughts. His gaze sharpened, but he didn't press further. Right now, what he really wanted to know was whether Athena could perform a full surgery. If her skills were as good as before, he planned to bring her in to operate on Desmond. As for Maya and her personal grudges? Those didn't matter.At that moment, Maya was sitting in Barbara's office, talking about everything that had happened that day. "Professor Gordon, Athena found a patient who actually agreed to let her perform the surgery," Maya said. "I pressured her to do it tomorrow, but I'm still worried she might have some kind of secret weapon." She tried to sound confident, but deep down she was uneasy. Athena had too many people helping her now. Maya didn't like that one bit. She leaned forward, lowering her voice. "Do you have any better ideas? Something that could make things harder for her?" Barbara gave a small, knowing smile. "I already thought about it. The patient Athena found—there's no way she did it alone. Kate must've helped her. I bet she even used her reputation to vouch for Athena. Otherwise, who would ever agree to such a risky surgery?" Maya nodded quickly. "That makes sense. I thought the same thing." Barbara let out a cold chuckle. "Then the solution is simple. Go after them. If the patient changes their mind at the last minute, even if Athena walks into the operating room, she's finished. No patient, no surgery. She loses automatically." Maya's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't even considered that! Barbara was truly experienced, sharp, and ruthless. Maya suddenly felt like she'd been handed the perfect plan. Luckily, Maya only gave Athena one day for the bet. If it had been three days, Athena might have found a backup patient. One day was tight, and that worked in Maya's favor. Maya leaned toward Barbara and said, "I know what to do. Trust me. Tomorrow I'll make sure Athena's operation never happens." Using her connections, Maya tracked down Athena's patient.They were still in the hospital. Herbert Pearce was a gray-haired man in his late 50s. He had a brain tumor that needed surgery to remove. That afternoon, Herbert had already been admitted to the hospital. His wife, Trina Pearce, stayed by his side. Both of them were nervous about the surgery scheduled for the next morning. "Sweetheart," Herbert said, wiping the corners of his eyes, "if tomorrow's surgery doesn't go well, you'll have to take care of yourself. I won't be around anymore." Trina frowned and scolded gently, "Don't talk nonsense! You'll be fine. Professor Warner said they're assigning one of the best surgeons to you. There's a 90 percent success rate! You just need to relax and rest tonight." The couple had come from a small, remote town. They didn't really understand how things worked in big-city hospitals. Money was tight. When Herbert's illness was diagnosed, they had decided not to pursue surgery. The operation cost tens of thousands—money they simply didn't have. By chance, Kate heard about their situation. Around the same time, Athena was searching for a patient for her upcoming surgery challenge. Kate reached out to them, explaining Athena's skills and offering help. The couple didn't know the full story behind the arrangements. All they knew was that Kate spoke highly of Athena, saying she was confident and experienced with Herbert's condition. When they looked up Kate's credentials online, they realized she was a renowned specialist—someone they had tried and failed to book appointments with for months.